TCU picks up latest commit in 3-Star WR Chase Van Wagoner

Chase Van Wagoner quickly became a name to know in the month of May, when a flurry of offers from across the country were added to his recruitment. Unfortunately for those schools, an offer that he kicked off June with was the one that he was waiting for all along.

Van Wagoner committed to TCU on Saturday afternoon after one last discussion with his family about the best move for him. The receiver's recruitment came down to a race between the Horned Frogs, Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, but TCU had a number of things working for it that the others hadn’t to this point in his recruitment.

“It’s close to where I live, for one,” he said. “I live close, but it’s far enough away from home that it’s not too close. There are a lot of people that I am friends with, have mutual friends with that have ties to TCU. And I’ve been a fan for a long time; I’ve watched them play since I was little.”

Van Wagoner made his announcement one day removed from the one-year anniversary of his first experience on campus at TCU, when he participated in a prospect camp ahead of his junior season. He said that because of the proximity to home he was able to make several visits there and bring his family so they could get a feel for it as well.

“A week ago I took my dad out there and he’s an SMU grad,” he said. “He had never even seen it even though he had grown up in Plano. I was happy to go along with him and have a visit with him … He really liked Coach (Gary) Patterson, he has a lot of things going for him and his mindset is right and my dad liked that.”

From what Van Wagoner has seen from Patterson on the field, he said that he’s the right combination of someone that’s as in control on the sidelines as he is dealing with his players on a personal level.

“He's is an intense guy, but that’s just who he is as a football coach,” he added. “There’s times when he’s ‘Coach P’ and then there’s times when he’s just Gary, and the players know that. He knows how to be a coach sometimes and how to connect with you as a human other times. He’s a really smart guy.

The head coach wasn’t the only one on the staff that was instrumental in landing Van Wagoner. He said the trio of Dan Sharp, Sonny Cumbie and Jarrett Anderson all worked together to strike the perfect balance when it came to showing him that he was a priority, but not smothering him in the process.

“Those three guys right there, they’re amazing - they’re good people,” he said. “They weren’t always pressuring me about making a decision or blowing my phone up, but they were still good about showing their interest and letting me know that they wanted me. They knew how to recruit well, they respected me, my space and my family and I realized that.

Even after loading up in last year’s class, TCU has been proactive about recruiting more top receivers in 2018. Van Wagoner becomes the Horned Frogs’ second in this class, along with Chicago product Alek Thomas, and there are still several top prospects in Texas and Louisiana that are seriously considering TCU as well.

Regardless of whoever else may or may not join this year’s edition of the Carter Boys, Van Wagoner thinks that he’s a great fit in the class because of his versatility and broad potential in TCU’s offense.

“They’re only taking a certain number of receivers, but they see me not just as an inside or outside guy,” he said. “I have the ability to play both - I can go up and get the long ball, but I’m quick enough and fast enough to run the shorter routes like a slot. They value that, think that I am a really strong athlete and have an impact in that offense.”

Van Wagoner said that now felt like the right time to make his decision now that the whirlwind that had been his recruitment for the last few months has settled. To have that been capped off with a nice opportunity to play at TCU, he’s ready to move forward to his senior season.

“Recruiting kind of slowed down for me as spring was coming to an end and summer picked up,” he said. “This recruiting stuff can get real hectic real quick. I had some schools that I felt right about, but it feels good to get this off my chest now with my senior season left to play. I want to focus more on that then where I’ll be after that.”